Automobile jack



lApril 13 1943 J.E. HINEs 2,316,430 l AUTOMOBILE JACK Filed Feb. 2, 1942Patented Apr. 13, 1943 UNITED ST'i'WS QFFICE This invention Arelates `toautomobile jacks, the present applica-tion being an improvement `uponthe jack shown in vmy U. S. Letters Patent No. 2,270,004dated January13, 1942, and that disclosed in my -eopending lapplication Serial No. i

419,1498,led November 1:7, 1'941.

In my aforesaid patent and application the automobile jacks consisted ofa base having Va roughened undersur'face so that same would remainduring the 'jaiclfzing operation relatively iixed uponpthe ground torroad surface, the base havin'gipivotedthereon lthelower'end of a swinging bar normally inclined to the road surface, and Hsaid bar havingvremovably secured lto its upper Aen'd a bracket adapted to be 'securedin rigid Aposition on :the bumper Yor on the bodyV of the automobile,whereby when so applied, upon movement of the automobile a shortdistance forward or backward, the swinging bar Vwould raise 'the 'body'and consequently the wheel of the automobile -adjacent the jack aboveVthe ground 'surface :since the bar would be shifted into substantially'vertical position, .the motor Aof the automobile 4itself "being thusutilized .to pro- Vide thenecessary bpower to .shift the vehicle .andraise the wheel above 'the ground to Vpermit changing `of tires, or the`application of non-'skid -chains, or :toppermit small repairs, therebydispensing with v'the necessity of manually actuating a Ajack 5to r'aisethe'body or 'wheelf My present rimprovement consists in providing, inplace `of the `Vrelatively fixed 'base disclosed in .my aforesaid,patent vand application, .a novel swingable bar -pivoted at its v.upperend to the bumper .or 'body bracket, vsaid bar carrying at 'its 'lower'end a bearing for 4a relativelyllarge ax'le carrying ground wheelsvlixedly secured to fthe axle .for rotation therewith, said axlecarrying ratchet teeth engaged by'opposed spring` pressed pawlsnormallyholding the Vaxle .against rotation in either direction, meansbeing provided on `the swinging bar adapted to'be .actuated when the baris in normal raised .position contacting the vehicle bumper, bodyor`brac`ket, to .release one of .said pawls lso 'as to permit the wheelsof the axle 't'oroll along .the road surface inthe directionV'ofnrovern'ent of the automobile after completion ofthe jackingoperation, Vthus permitting the automobile "to be moved forwardly, or'backwardly vas Ythe case may be, 'beyond .the point necessary `to`fully jack the car. By such construction, if aninexperienced personwhen vusing the ljack 'should move the vautomobile .beyond 'the pointnecessary to swing the bar 'into 'full jacking position, no ydamagetothe automobile bumper,

jack, Vor bracket would be encountered, Amy novel jack thus addingsafety tothe operation .of the jack by rendering .it impossible 'for theperson using the jack to do anydamage to the car, jack or bracket byovershooting the point at which he would stop .the Vforward or backwardmovement of 4the lcar during the jacking operation. The other springpressed .pawl in .constant engagement with the ratchet teeth is adaptedto prevent rotation of the axle and wheels in the opposite direction, sothat -when lit is intended to unjack the car the vehicle .maybe moved.in the reverse direction swinging the bar laway from contact with thebumper body or bracket and releasing the pawl actuating vmeans abovementioned so that the first `pawl will `be restored to its normalposition. The axle will then be held against rotation in eitherdirection, and the locked wheels of Vthe axle will merely rock Whileremaining relatively immovable on 'the road or ground surface,'so thatwhile the automobile is in reverse motion the swingable bar will beswung into the original position 'it had assumed before the automobilewas jacked.

I will explain the -invention with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, which illustrates one practical embodiment Athereof to enableothers to adopt and use the same; and will summarize in the claimsthe-novel'features vof construction, and novel combinations of parts,for'vvhich-protection is desired.

In said drawing:

lFig. 1 is an elevation of my novel jack applied to the bumper of vanautomobile.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation'of the Aparts shown in Fig. 1 showingposition of the parts of the jack immediately 'before or after thevjacking operation. i A

Fig. 3 is a side elevation showing the position of the parts -in fullyjacked position, the pawl releasing plunger on the swinging barcontacting the bumper of the automobile.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vvertical section through the lower portion of theswinging bar, showing the opposed spring pressed pawls engaging theratchet *teeth of the axle, 'and showing Ythevpawl releasing mechanism.

As shown, the jack preferably comprises a swinging bar 2 preferably ofrectangular crosssection and of suicient rigidity to support a portionof the weight of the automobile body, said bar ;2 having at its lowerend a bearing 2a for an axle I having rfixed thereon at vopposite sidesof l.the bearing 2a. lground wheels la, 'the axle 'l rotating with thewheels la. Axle l is prevented from axial movement in the bearing 2a. byany suitable means; and within bearing 2a the axle I is provided withratchet teeth Ib (Fig. 4) formed by recessing the axle, six such ratchetteeth being indicated in the drawing. However, a more or less number ofteeth Ib may be provided.

Extending into bearing 2a, disposed substantially horizontally, is aspring pressed pawl 3 having its inner end beveled as at 3a wherebt7axle I may rotate in the counterclockwise direction but the pawl willprevent rotation of the axle in the clockwise direction. Preferably thepawl 3 is provided with a stem 3b passing through a nut 3c threaded intoa boss 2b formed on the side of bearing 2a, said stem 3b being providedwith a knob 3d at its outer end whereby the pawl 3 may if desired bemanually shifted outwardly for disengagement from the ratchet teeth Ib.A

coil spring 3d is interposed between pawl 3 and the inner end of nut 3c,within the bore of boss 2b, said spring normally urging the pawl 3inwardly into contact with ratchet teeth Ib t0 prevent rotation of axleI in the clockwise direction.

On bearing 2a is a second boss 2c disposed vertically, said boss housinga second slidable and opposed pawl 4 having its outer end beveled as at4a in a direction opposite from the bevel 0f pawl 3, whereby the pawl 4when engaged with teeth Ib will permit rotation of axle I in theclockwise direction, but will prevent rotation of axle I in thecounterclockwise direction. Pawl 4 is also provided with a stem 4bextending through a nut 4c tapped into the outer end of boss 2c, saidstem having a knob 4d on its outer end provided with an eye 4e, for thepurpose hereinafter described. Within the boss 2c is a spring 4einterposed between pawl 4 and the inner end of nut 4c, said springnormally urging the pawl 4 inwardly into engagement with ratchet teethIb. Y

Extending through a bore 2d in the swinging bar 2, at such point abovebearing 2a as to contact with the bumper bar B of the vehicle, or someother xed portion of the vehicle body, or the jack bracket hereinafterdescribed, is a spring pressed plunger 5 projecting from the same faceof the bar 2 as the knob-3d of ratchet 3, said plunger 5 having a stem5a passing through a i nut 5b threaded into the bore in bar 2 for theplunger 5, said stem 5a having a head 5c on its end adjacent the nut 5bto limit the outward movement of the plunger. Within bore 2d is a spring5d interposed between the inner end of the plunger 5 and the inner endof the nut 5b, said spring normally maintaining the plunger projectedout of the bore 2d and into position shown in Figs. 2 and 4. Head 5c ofstem 5a carries an eye 5d, and a flexible wire or cord 6 passes throughguides I and Ia mounted on the face of swinging bar 2, said wire 6having its ends connected to the eyes 5d and 4e in such manner that whenthe plunger 5 is in position shown in Figs. 2 and 4 the pawl 4 will bein engagement with the ratchet teeth Ib, but when plunger 5 is shiftedwithin bore 2d, against the action of spring 5d, by contact with thebumper har B Aas shown in Fig. 3, the eye 5d will be shifted and willthereby pull wire 6 and raise the stem 4b of pawl 4 so that said pawl 4will be disengaged from ratchet teeth Ib, thus permitting axle I torotate in the counterclockwise direction, the pawl 3 preventing rotationof the axle only in the clockwise direction. However,

normally when both pawls 3 and 4 are engaged with the ratchet teeth Ib,axle I is prevented from rotation in the bearing 2a in either directionso that the wheels I a will not be permitted to roll along the groundduring the jacking 0peration until the vehicle has been fully jacked, orin the present case, until the swinging bar 2 has been shifted from theposition shown in Fig. 2 into the position shown in Fig. 3, at whichtime the plunger 5 is contacting the bumper bar B of the automobile.

The upper end of bar 2 is perforated to receive a pivot bolt 8e carriedby a bracket which in the present embodiment is shown as applied to theconventional front or rear bumper bar B of the vehicle which extendsacross the front or rear end of the vehicle projecting beyond the endsof the automobile body, said bumper bar B being secured to the vehiclebody by means of bumper braces B which, as shown in Fig. 3, are usuallydisposed in pairs which diverge outwardly usually on an arc so as to betangent to the bumper bar B at their outer ends and to be contactingattheir inner ends adjacent the body of the vehicle, the outwardly flaringpairs of brace bars B' forming with the bumper bar B substantiallytriangular openings between the rear face of bumper bar B and the innerfaces of braces B' which space is adapted to receive the jack bracket.

The bracket shown is substantially the same as that shown in mycopending application Serial No. 419,498, led November 17, 1941, andconsists of a pair of spaced parallel plates 8 secured in spacedrelation by a row of rivets 8a extending adjacent one vertical edgepassing through spacing washers interposed between the plates 8. Onelower corner of the bracket plates 8-8 is cut away as at 8c to form ashoulder adapted to seat directly upon the top of bumper bar B asindicated in Figs. 2 and 3, while the adjacent lower portion of thebracket is adapted to extend down behind bumper bar B to a pointsomewhat below the lower edge thereof, the extended portion havingaligned openings therein to receive a lifting bar 9 of su'icient lengthto extend through the plates 8-8 and under the bumper braces B at apoint adjacent bumper bar B as indicated in Fig. 3, so that when thebracket is thus secured in the position, a lift or upward thrust on thebracket 8-8 will lift the bumper and the adjacent end or corner of thebody, and also the adjacent wheel. The upper end of lifting bar 2extends between the plates 8--8 above shoulder 8c, and is pivotallyconnected to the bracket 8-8 by the bolt, rivet, or pin 8e which may beremovably or permanently secured in the bracket. The particular form ofbracket however forms no part of my present invention, and the bracketmay take the form of those shown in my U. S. Letters Patent No.2,270,004 issued January 13, 1942, or any other desired form.

In applying the jack to the automobile, th bracket 8--8 is positionedwith respect to bumper bar B as shown in Fig. 2, while bar 9 is removed.and then the barV 9 is inserted in the holes in the lower end of thebracket so as to extend beneath the bumper braces B. When the automobileis moved under its own power in a direction towards the axle I theswinging bar 2 will be swung `into substantially vertical position asshown in Fig. 3 thereby raising the bumper and the adjacent end orcorner and wheel of the automobile, the bumper bar engaging the swingingbar 2 limiting the swinging movement of bar 2 away from its normalposition shown in Fig. 2.

agregan r'oador groundlsuriaeinfthe tdirection of mo'veflne'nt fof theatdnfobile fduring 'thefjacking operation, rendering "it impossible for'the-operator 'using-the 'ja'ck 'to l1:10 l'any@damage v-to the car forsto'p the movement of th'e automobile, thea ion of plunger 5 thuspermitting the automobile {to movebeyond the point necessary to fullyjack the automobile without causing damage to the bumper, bracket, orswinging bar as might be caused by inexperienced persons using a jackwhich is not provided with my novel safety ratchet and pawls, andcontinuing to apply the power after the automobile was fully jacked. Inorder to lower the jacked car, the vehicle' is moved under its own powerin the opposite direction and the axle I is prevented from rotating insuch direction by the pawl 3 which is in constant engagement with theratchet teeth Ib, the

ratchet 3 thus permitting the swinging bar 2 to back away from thebumper bar B, to release the plunger 5 from contact with the bumper barB, and permitting the pawl 4 to reengage the ratchet teeth lh whereuponthe axle l will not be permitted to rotate in either direction but willmerely rock on the road surface as the automobile is moved to unjack thecar.

Continued movement of the car in said direction will restore the partsto the position shown in Fig. 2, whereupon the jack including thebrackets 8 may be readily removed from the vehicle by removal of thelifting bar 9 of the bracket from engagement of the undersides of thebumper brace bars B. e

I do not limit my invention to the exact form shown in the drawing, io;`obviously changes may be made therein within the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A vehicle jack comprising a swingable bar adapted to be pivotallyconnected in inclined position to a vehicle body and caused to assume asubstantially vertical jacking position by movement of the vehicletowards said bar, the swinging movement of the bar into jacking positionbeing limited by contact of the bar with a portion of the vehicle body;a ground wheel journaled at the lower end of said bar; means normallypreventing rotation of said Wheel in either direc* tion; and means onthe bar actuated byLfthe contact against said portion of the vehiclebody to release said rotation preventing means ,and permit rotation ofthe ground wheel in the. direction of movement of the vehicle during thejacking operation while preventing rotation in the opposite direction.

2. In a jack as set forth in claim 1, said relatively xed portion of thevehicle being the vehicle bumper; and a bracket pivotally connected withthe upper end of the swingable Abar and having means for connection withthe bumper.

3. In a jack as set forth in claim 1, said releasing means comprising aplunger yieldably mounted on the bar and adapted to impinge upon theportion of Itherevenicle body and` to lipe 4shifted plunger =is shifted.v

21.*vehicl'e jack fc'oin'prising -`a :swingable bar adapted "to 'beipivotally connected in inclined nialed'lat the `rlower end of fsaidbar; means vnor- 'Inally preventi-ng rotation cf -said wheel gin leitherdirection; lmeansfonffthebar actuated byfthecont'act-afgaifristfsaidrelatively :fixed portion of the nvaincre@body to r'eiease fsaidrotationpreventing 1an-d permit rotation 5of they ground 'wheel inLthe@disection o'f1movementof'ftne vehicle during the jacking operationwhile preventing rotation in the opposite direction; and means forrestoring the contact actuated means and the preventing means to normalpositions when the bar is disengaged from the vehicle body to permit thevehicle to be unjacked.

5. In a jack as set forth in claim 4, said relatively xed portion of thevehicle being the vehicle bumper; and a bracket pivotallly connectedwith the upper end of the swingable bar and having means for connectionwith the bumper.

6. In a jack as set forth in claim 4, said releasing means comprising aplunger yieldably mounted on the bar and adapted to impinge upon theportion of the vehicle body and to be shifted thereby; and meansconnecting the plunger and preventing means to release the latter whenthe plunger is shifted.

7. A vehicle jack comprising a swingable bar adapted to be pivotallyconnected in inclined position to a vehicle body and caused to assume asubstantially vertical jacking position by movement of the vehicletowards said bar, the swinging movement of the bar into jacking positionbeing limited by contact of the bar with a portion of the vehicle body;said bar having a bearing at its lower end; an axle jcurnaled in saidbearing; ground wheels xedly mounted on the axle: ratchet teeth on saidaxle; opposed spring pressed pawls carried by the bar and normalli7engaging the ratchet teeth to prevent rotation of the axle in eitherdirection, said pawls each permitting rotation of the axle inrespectively opposite directions when the other pawl is disengaged; andmeans on the bar actuated by the contact with said portion of thevehicle body when in fully jacked position to release one of said pawlsand permit rotation of the axle and ground wheels in the direction ofmovement of the vehicle during the jacking operation.

8. In a jack as set forth in claim '7, said relal tively fixed portionof the vehicle being the vehicle bumper; and a bracket pivotallyconnected with the upper end of the swingable bar and having means forconnection with the bumper.

9. In a jack as set forth in claim 7, said releasing means comprising aplunger yieldably mounted on the bar and adapted to impinge upon therelatively xed portion of the vehicle body and to be shifted thereby;and means connecting the `plunger and releasable pawl whereby the pawlwill be released when the plunger is shifted.

l0. A vehicle jack comprising a swingable bar adapted to be pivotallyconnected in inclined position to a vehicle body and caused to assume asubstantially vertical jacking position by movement of the vehicletowards said bar, the swinging movement of the bar into jacking positionbeing limited by contact of the bar with a portion of the vehicle body;said bar having a bearing at its lower end; an axle journaled in saidbearing; ground wheels xedly mounted on the axle; ratchet teeth on saidaxle; opposed spring pressed pawls carried by the bar and normallyengaging the ratchet teeth to prevent rotation of the axle in eitherdirection, said pawls each permitting rotation of the axle inrespectively opposite directions when the other pawl is disengaged;means on the bar actuated by the contact with said portion of thevehicle body when in fully jacked position to release one oi? said pawlsand permit rotation of the axle and ground wheels in the direction ofmovement of the vehicle during the jacking operation; and

gral-Brise means for restoring the releasable pawl to normal position'when the bar is disengaged from the vehicle body to permit the vehicleto be unjacked.

11. In a jack as set forth in claim 10, said relatively xed portion ofthe vehicle being the vehicle bumper; and a bracket pivotally connectedwith the upper end of the swingable bar and having means for connectionwith the bumper.

12. In a jack as set forth in claim 10, said releasing means comprisinga plunger yieldably mounted on the bar and adapted to impinge upon therelatively fixed portion of the vehicle body and to be shifted thereby;and means connecting the plunger and releasable pawl whereby the pawlwill be released'when the plunger is shifted. f p

JOHNjE. HINES

